The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-07-27

have Just returned from trip on the
Santa Fe Road west, writes Laura M.
Johns, from Salina, Kan, to Boston pa
per. Syracuse, sixteen miles from the
Colorado line, was the Mecca of my pill
grimage, be ause here they elected City
Council of women, and | was bent upon
seeing the town that had made this inno-
walton and the women who were filling the
council chairs. l wanted to ask tie peo-
pie how it came about and how it was
working.
The first of these ladies introduced TO
me was Mrs. f. b. Barber, q fair faced,
gentle hammered woman, with an unmis-
taxable air of business about her. l found
this account tor by the fact that she is
business woman. Her husband does
large and complicated business; the books
are entirely in her charge. Mrs. ii. ID.
Mott is a business woman, too. L expect
much of Mrs. Mott in the man
agement of their Suffrage Society, be-
cause of her experience in Iowa as
President OF the Eighth District Woman
Suffrage Society. Mrs. Coggeshall says
they we're very sorry to lose Mrs. Mott
! from their ranks. She is chairman of the
! Syracuse Aldermanic force. Mrs. Nj. NJ.
Riggles is quiet little woman, careful
and conscientious mother and housewife.
She has a way of making up her mind for
herself and standing firmly by her convic-
tons. She has a reputation among SYRIA
cuse male citizens for being person of
excellent judgment.
Mrs. :. n. Coe Is a woman of excellent
ability, with enough conservatism to keep
her enthusiasm in proper check. No ono
of these women is more anxious to do eX-
actly right than is Mrs. Coe. She is sister
to Mrs. Lemert, President of the Saxon
Equal Suffrage Society, or sanized at Dodge
City by Mrs. Saxon and named for her.
She has several such namesakes in Kansas.
Mrs. l.. NJ. Swartwood, the fifth member,
l did not see, although / made an effort to
do so. She was confined to her home by
sickness; but am told that she is n woman
of ability and by no means behind her
sisters in any requisite for her position.
My short acquaintance with these women
convinced me that sitting in council chairs
and wrestling with questions of city polity
has had no effect 10 unsex them-whatever
that may be-for these were as womanly
women as / have ever seen. / looked in
vain for masculine tendencies. There was
not hint of 1t in dress or manner. Meet
ing them on the street or in the cars YOU
would never guess that they were city Off
Gals. From conversation with them
learned that they were exceedingly anxious
to make their administration q Just one
one that would advance the best interests Of
their city; and when they spoke of ad-
vancing the interests of their city they be-
trayed the fact that they had in mind the
city's moral as we'll as temporal prosperity.
1t is said of them that they are doing
better work than the body Of men who COM
posed the previous council. Their towns
people say they were elected because
somebody proposed it and everybody was
pleased with the idea; because 1T was be-
lieved they would make excellent officers"
because "the temperance people thought
women wouldn't be afraid to enforce the
prohibitory law because I'VE wanted to
advertise our town"-this last from men,
Der of real estate firm; because women
would take time to do the work we'll and
thoughtfully." Altogether, was pleased
with my first sight of woman council.
This is the only one in the United States.